A golf trip … finally!

I don’t know about you, but I love a golf trip. There is nothing quite like finishing a round and knowing that you do not have to drive home. A golf trip where you are staying on site is even better – no hassle of cars, transfers or taxis. So, in a year that had seen all planned trips (except one) cancelled, it was great finally to get away. It seemed that the Gods were truly smiling on us as well, with the North West bathed in glorious sunshine over a weekend when it was wet, miserable and windy in the south. Whilst the cricketers were taking shelter and not a ball was bowled at Southampton, we were in shorts and t-shirts at Formby.

We had a tee time at 2:40pm on Saturday, following the morning competition. It’s a good 4 hour drive from north London and a little further from mid-Kent, so I had suggested we met for lunch. It was something of a surprise when the WhatsApp group chat started with Willo suggesting he was likely to be there around 1130. We were all clearly very keen to get there. The plan was 36 holes at Formby, with an overnight stay in the clubhouse Dormy rooms and then 18 holes at Royal Liverpool.

Formby Golf Club

The coast between the Mersey and the Ribble has the finest land for links in the country. It is known as the Golf Coast for a reason. Working from the south, you have West Lancashire, Formby, Southport & Ainsdale, Hillside, Royal Birkdale and Hesketh. The first 5 all feature in the Top 100 in England and the latter included for historical interest. When you add Royal Liverpool and Wallasey (to the south of the Mersey) and Fairhaven, Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s Old Links (to the north of the Ribble), you really are spoilt for choice.

The oldest of all of these, however, is Formby Golf Club. It was founded in 1884 and golf was originally played across a 9-hole course laid out by Willie Park Jr. This was extended to 18 holes soon afterwards and many of the great architects have been involved with the course since. James Braid, Harry Colt, Fred Hawtree and JF Taylor all made changes during the first half of the 20th century. It was, however, the revisions made by Donald Steel in the 1980s which had the greatest impact. These were in part prompted by the diversion of the Mersey, which had resulted in coastal erosion that directly affected holes 9-11.

Land by the sea

The land on which it is built is traditional sand based links land. It is surrounded by Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve which is now owned and curated by the National Trust. The combination of dramatic sand dunes and sweeping coastal pines create an amazing backdrop to the sandy beaches. The course, however, is not a traditional links. It has a lot of links elements – pot bunkers, undulating fairways and rolling dunes – but it also has a distinct heathland feel to it as well.

The routing is unusual, as the main course effectively creates a large anti-clockwise loop around the shorter 18 hole Formby Ladies Golf Club. This is a flatter, shorter course that is equally well maintained and is a great test of golf. We did not, sadly, have a chance to play it on this occasion, but I am keen to give it a go when we return. The centre land over which the ladies’ course is laid is covered in sweeping swathes of purple heather and this therefore comes into play on some of the main course holes as well.

The first four holes run up the right side, before you turn back towards the dunes and the trees. The next five holes are among the finest I have ever played, combining blind approach shots, cleverly designed greens, narrow fairways and some amazing views. The back 9 is more in the traditional links style, with a number of the holes separated by dunes covered in wispy rough. The final 3 holes (a par 3, par 5 and par 4) create a great closing stretch that can play very differently depending on the direction of the wind.

A clock and a hippo

The clubhouse, as it stands today, was built in 1901. It has undergone a number of refurbishments over the years but it has a long and colourful history. There are numerous pictures, trophy cabinets and mementos displayed all around the building. The members’ lounge is adorned with portraits of all former club captains dressed in their formal club dress: red tail-coat and white bow tie. There are pictures of past winners of various championships that the club has hosted, including Jose-Maria Olazabal and Tommy Fleetwood.

The club boasts a wide and varied membership over the ages. The huge clock that dominates the tower on the side of the clubhouse overlooking the 18th green was donated by Joseph Bruce Ismay in 1909. Ismay was the chairman of the White Star Line, which was based in Liverpool and boasted a fleet of 29 steamers and tenders. Following discussions between Ismay and the American financier, J.P. Morgan, White Star started work on 3 Olympic-class ocean liners, one of which was named Titanic.

In the same year, 1909, the widow of one of the early trustees of the club donated a hippo. This was a hunting trophy that her husband had brought back from a trip to Africa. The hippo remained in situ at the bar until it was commandeered by some junior Navy officers during World War II. The clubhouse was being used as a temporary officers’ mess and the hippo was taken as a good-luck charm. They strapped it to the searchlight of their ship, HMS Veteran, and the hippo accompanied them on a number of missions. Fortunately, it survived and was returned to the clubhouse where it has been ever since.

Playing the Course

So, what did we make of this highly regarded course? Well, we played it twice (rather than one on the main and one on the ladies’ course) and none of us regretted that decision. It really is a great test of golf, but as ever with links courses, it is better to have played it twice. I will describe it as a links course, even if it is not open and wild like West Lancs or Southport & Ainsdale. The ground is definitely links and it allows for all of the shot-making associated with a true links.

The practice facilities are good and we took full advantage. After all, we had all arrived more than 2hrs in advance of our tee time! The new practice ground is a little walk from the clubhouse, but with free balls and a full length range it was well worth the effort. There is a good sized practice green in front of the pro-shop and it runs as well as the actual greens.

By the time our tee time came around, it is fair to say that we were well and truly warmed up … and quite excited!

More matchplay …

As there were four of us and 3 rounds, I had suggested that we swapped partner for each round. The idea was that the winning pair would each get a point, but the individual with the most points would win the overall competition. The draw had me and DTH taking on Rob and Willo on Saturday, and me with Willo and Rob with DTH on Sunday morning.

DTH and I started well and never went behind over the front 9. Rob had played some excellent golf to keep us in check, but our dove-tailing worked extremely well. We had three blobs between us, but the other player parred each. All square through 9 and then 1 up through 10. Then Willo took over. He played the final 8 holes +1 gross, with a birdie and 5 pars. DTH kept us in it with a birdie on 16, but Rob’s birdie 4 on the par 5 17th secured a 3&1 victory. Some decent golf in there, as better ball 77 from Rob and Willo beat our 80.

The front 9 was pretty close again on Sunday morning, with 6 pars from me giving us a 1-up lead. Rob and DTH put together a better ball back 9 of 36 and we never got back in the game. Back to back birdies from Rob on 11 and 12 the highlight of his excellent approach play. He seemed able to get up and down from everywhere! The 17th was halved in par 5s to leave Rob and DTH with a 2&1 victory.

So, going in to the afternoon at Hoylake, I was the only one without a point, while Rob had 2. Find out what happened here.

Hole 1

The first is a great opening hole. It is a long par 4, but with a generous fairway. On Saturday, we played it from the medal tees and it measures out to about 420 yards. The railway line runs all along the right side, but there is plenty of room left. There are three offset bunkers in the landing area, with two on the right and one further up on the left. From there, a further five protect the approach and the green itself.

The green is gently undulating with a slight ridge in front. It comes very close to the railway line, so don’t miss right. It is large and deep, so check the flag position before selecting your club. The bunkers are all at the front, so better to be long than short here.

Hole 2

The second hole would not be out of place on a Surrey heathland course. It is another par 4, but more approachable at 380 yards. You drive over a huge expanse of heather, which continues along the left side of the hole. Three deep pot bunkers protect the right side of the fairway, which narrows at the furthest bunker. The green complex is fantastic – sloping from back to front and with run-offs right and left. A deep pot bunker on the left side provides further protection.

Hole 3

Hole 3 has its own crossing guard at the weekends. It is a strong par 5 which has a public footpath connecting the town to the beach. Having played a few other courses which have pathways to the beach, it is definitely helpful to have someone on crowd control. The locals should not really be in danger, but you do have to hit your drive straight across the path. More heather covers the ground before the footpath and then there is a generous fairway. The good miss this time is right, as the left is a combination of thick rough, heather and bunkers. Believe me, you do not want to miss left! I had help from one of the crossing guards and it took us a long time to find my ball despite it landing only 15 yards from him.

If you have avoided the 5 fairway bunkers, the hole then straightens to the hole. There are two deep bunkers to catch your approach, one centre one right. These are at about 65-70 yards from the green. Three further bunkers then protect the green which is one of the flatter putting surfaces on the course. Beware of the solitary tree back left – it is not an easy up and down if you get stuck behind that.

Hole 4

This is a short, drivable, par 4 – measuring around 310 yards. With the undulating fairway and numerous bunkers, however, it is not easy to get your drive on the green. There is a swathe of deep rough on the left hand side, which separates the 3rd and 4th fairways. But don’t miss right, as there are trees and an incredibly thick cabbage patch.

There are 5 bunkers on the fairway which collect together the closer you get to the hole. The green is protected by a deep long pot bunker at the front and runaways on all sides. Behind the green is a thicket of gorse. This is a short hole, but it is definitely not easy.

Hole 5

The first par 3 on the course can play anywhere from a 4 iron to an 8 iron depending on the wind. It is around 165 yards from the medal tees and plays slightly uphill. Four pot bunkers protect the green – one straight and three on the left. We are entering sand dune territory here, and there is a large dune on the right of the green, covered in thick rough.

The green has a number of undulations and slopes from back right to front left. There is also a little gulley that runs off to the right. If the pin is on the right, just aim for the middle!

Hole 6

This would be a classic links hole, if it weren’t for the row of trees which frame the right side of the hole. You play through the dunes to a flat landing area. The tee box points you towards the right side, where three large and deep fairway bunkers wait to catch any tee shot that is less than perfect. Ideally, you will aim at the bunkers and play a gentle draw to bring the ball back to the centre of the fairway. The huge dunes on the left separate the 6th from the Ladies’ Course.

If you get a decent tee shot away, the approach is still pretty fiendish. You play to a green which is the other side of another section of the dunes. There is a bunker hiding among it and all you have is a marker for which to aim – note that is on the right side, not the middle, of the green. Once you clear the dunes everything is sloping away from you, so make sure you don’t take too much club. It’s a tricky balance – you need enough club to clear the dunes, but not so much that you will land on the green! The green itself slopes from front to back, and ultimately into the back right corner.

Hole 7

The seventh hole plays back between the trees. It is a narrow tee shot which requires great accuracy. The hole then bends uphill to the right. So the left side of the fairway is the only place from which you will get a good view of green. The carry to the fairway is deceptive, so make sure you take enough club. The fairway also starts earlier on the left than on the right. The green complex sits in a natural amphitheatre amidst the dunes. There is a bank on the left side which will feed the ball back towards the hole. Don’t miss right.

On the scorecard at under 380 yards, this par 4 looks like it should be easy to navigate. It is, however, anything but easy. The tee shot has the same claustrophobia as the Duchess at Woburn, the approach into the towering dunes could easily be on the west coast of Ireland (but for the trees!). This is a great hole – if it all goes wrong, just make sure you have taken lots of pictures.

Hole 8

If you have survived the 6th and the 7th with your scorecard intact, you cannot relax. The 8th is another cracker. Having risen to the 7th green, you walk off to an elevated tee that presents another daunting tee shot. This is a par 5 and is stroke index 1. At 483 yards you can be forgiven for thinking that it should be easy. As with the 7th, it’s not. The tee shot is played to a very narrow fairway that runs out at about 230 yards. If you want to go for the green in two, you need to be accurate and capable of playing a high draw. The fairway is flanked again by a line of trees on each side, but this time also has a steep fall off on both sides as it runs along a raised dune.

Having got your tee shot away, the choice is to lay-up or go for the green. The former is substantially easier than the latter. Even for a lay-up, you need to be careful as the fairway pinches in at the ideal 100 yard spot. The green is again surrounded by dunes on the left and right, so the ideal angle from which to approach is on the left side. This is a huge green complex which slopes from back to front. You have to take great care with the approach as short will run back off the green, but long is much worse!

Hole 9

The front 9 closes with another fantastic hole. The tee box for this par 4 gives you a great view out towards the beach and the huge dunes in the distance. There is a reasonably generous landing area and the trees appear only on the left. At 450 yards, however, you need to hit straight to give yourself any chance of getting to the green in two. The bunkers on the left and right of the fairway are only really in play for very long hitters or in the height of summer.

A solitary pot bunker protects the green (on the left edge). Miss right, however, and your ball will fall away into a swale making for a very difficult up and down. There is a little gulley that runs around the back of the green from which you will be playing onto the downslope. The approach is stunning, with the tall pines framing the green and the North Sea coming into view between the dunes.

Hole 10

Take a moment to go right to the top of the back tee on the 10th. The views out across the dunes and the beach to the sea are stunning. The views back across the course are pretty good too!

This is a classic linksy par 3 which is suddenly very exposed to the elements. The green is framed by the trees again, but they are set further back than some of the previous holes. You hit your tee shot over a large swathe of rough from a slightly raised position. Two pot bunkers protect the green at the front on the left and right. There is a dune on the left, which is best avoided, but the miss to the right is not ideal either. The green is slightly raised and falls away on all sides. Holding it is not easy!

Hole 11

After the preceding 6 hole stretch, which is one of the finest I have played, the 11th feels like a bit of a let down. That, however, is a very harsh assessment! This is a classic links hole (if you ignore the trees surrounding the tee box). There is a generous landing area for your tee shot which narrows the further up you go. Three pot bunkers on the right protect the ideal spot from which to approach the green. There is a further fairway bunker on the left side as well.

The hole narrows as the dunes rise up around the green and, depending on where the flag is situated, you could have a blind tee shot. The undulating fairway gently rises to the green complex which is surrounded by dunes. There is a little space to miss on the right – anything left is into the thick stuff!

Hole 12

It would be easy to mistake the playing order and head straight to the 14th from the 11th green. The 12th plays out to the extremity of the course, with the 13th coming back alongside it. You then pass back infant of the 12th tee on your way to the 14th. The 12 and 13th are perhaps the only slightly weak holes on the course. As readers will probably have realised, I have a reasonable memory for golf holes, but I was struggling a little with these two. Good thing there is some excellent drone footage on the club’s website!

So, the 12th is another par 4 and comes in at 405 yards from the white tees. A solitary fairway bunker protects the right side for the tee shot. After this, the fairway narrows the closer you get to the hole. The green is set slightly above the surrounding area, with a large kidney shaped bunker on the front left. There is a run-off at the back of the green. Trees frame the green at the back.

Hole 13

The 13th is a strong par 4 and measures 410 yards from the white tees. Looking back at the footage from the flyover, there are a lot more bunkers than I remember! Similar to the 12th, the fairway narrows after the first set of bunkers. Here, we have one left and one right for the drive which are slightly offset from each other. There is then a line of three bunkers diagonally from front right to back left.

The approach plays over these three bunkers and there are two further bunkers protecting the green. They are a little way in front and so are only in play when you are into the wind or if you are trying to run the ball up. The green is quite small but has a generous area of fairway on both sides.

Hole 14

The 14th starts a closing stretch which is among the finest that I have played. The tee box gives a great view across the course from a raised position (again definitely worth going to the back tees for a photo!). The hole doglegs sharply from right to left, but don’t try and take too much of the corner off. The practice ground on the left is out of bounds and easily found if you are too greedy. Anything close to the OOB line is going to lead to a difficult search for your ball among all of the errant range balls!

If you are too straight or right off the tee then there is a mass of gorse bushes. Having negotiated the tee shot, unless you are big hitter you will be left with a long iron into the green. Three bunkers await your approach to a generous green. Best to approach from the right side so that you can run the ball up from just in front. Anything long will quickly disappear into the trees.

Hole 15

At stroke index 2, the 15th is technically the most difficult hole on the back 9. It is a par 4 that measures spot on 400 yards from the white tees. There is a generous landing area for the tee shot and no bunkers to worry about. The approach is what makes this hole difficult.

Again, the fairway narrows the further you get towards the hole and the dunes get higher. Two towering dunes protect the entrance to the green which, despite having two tiers, is difficult to hold. There are run-offs to the back, left and right. Have a look for the pin location when you are playing the 13th, it makes a huge difference to your approach shot. If you end up on the wrong tier you are in serious 3-putt territory.

Hole 16

In contrast the 16th is the easiest hole on the course. Or at least that’s what the scorecard says. At only 127 yards from the white tees this should be easy. Set with trees behind and playing from a sheltered tee box it is very difficult to judge the wind.

The green is small and raised on a little plateau above the surrounding area. If you find it you will have a relatively flat putt, but if you don’t there are three bunkers and numerous swales. Getting up and down from the sides of the green is very challenging! Beware the slight false front on the left edge as well.

Hole 17

Holes 17 and 18 take you back to the clubhouse and along the edge of the property. Some huge houses emerge behind the trees and the signs (and security cameras) suggest that you should not go looking for your ball if you clear the fence!

The trees frame the right side of the hole and you want to avoid going right off the tee. Plenty of space left, but there are bunkers and thick rough to prevent you from being too conservative. Two bunkers protect the tee shot and a further two protect the lay-up (albeit they are only really in play if you haven’t found the fairway).

The fairway becomes more undulating as you get towards the green and there is one further bunker on the right edge of the green. The green itself is long and thin with a slight ridge running diagonally from front left to back right. The left edge of the green is slightly raised and there is a run-off if you get the wrong side of it.

Hole 18

You walk back from the 17th green about 100 yards to the 18th tee box. This is another classic mix-up hole – the tee shot played through a funnel of trees, with pot bunkers littering the undulating, fast-running fairway and a flat green in front of the clubhouse.

If you have a cross-wind off the tee you are in trouble as the tee box is totally enclosed and you will not feel it. There are two adjacent pot-bunkers in the ideal landing area on the left of the fairway. Right is a bad miss on this hole as you are in serious danger of putting yourself out of bounds. The fairway remains generous here, but the green is protected by six bunkers. There are two on the approach, two left and two right. The green itself is long and thin, but relatively flat.

It’s a great closing hole and always fun to have the clubhouse and terrace quite so close! I suspect that in high winds there have been many a ball careering towards the clubhouse.